Ebay / Paypal Returns/Refunds Policy

Crabman

I'm a little confused - I'm sure that according to the PayPal protection policy (which this sale is covered by) if you don't receive the item within a reasonable time (e.g. lost in post?) you get a refund, and if the seller plays up, you launch a claim through PayPal through which you are guaranteed to get a refund.

However, I've come across this on a seller's page, for a DVD/HDD recorder:

Item must be returned within: 7 Days of receipt
Return Policy Details: Item must be returned within: 7 Days of receipt

Return Policy Details:
Items lost in post and NOT insured will NOT be refunded.
Items lost in post and INSURED WILL be fully refunded.
Items returned as "not as described" or faulty within 7 days of receipt will refunded minus postage.
Items returned as "not as described" or faulty within 7 days of receipt that were sent insured will be fully refunded

I would have bid on this but I'm not prepared to a) take the risk of it getting lost and me losing my money and b) paying an extra £5 for insurance which the seller should pay for anyway.

What's the deal here, is the seller allowed to say this?!

nightswimmer

As I understand it, no matter what that sellers T&C's say, if the item was lost in the post and you started a PayPal dispute and won, your money would be refunded (as long as they can get it from the seller's account).

It's up to the seller to get the item to you safely, and if it gets lost, it is then up to them to get compensation from Royal mail (or whichever delivery company they use).

frivolous_fay

The seller's T&Cs are misguided, he's an idiot.

Vote with your feet.

digerati

Crabman,

I think you are confused. Seller's policy only relates to returns from buyer and has nothing to do with insured shipping to buyer. I think you'll find most UK sellers will ship consumer electronics with insurance to protect themselves against loss or damage.

Seller's policy states that if buyer returns an item to seller, but that item is lost in the post and was NOT insured by buyer, then buyer will NOT be refunded. This is quite equitable as seller has no control over whether a buyer insures any returned item. PayPal does require buyers to return items to sellers with proof of delivery.

What's the deal here, is the seller allowed to say this?!

Yes. That's how they protect themselves from buyers that don't read the fine print or are TSFE...

nightswimmer

digerati wrote:

I think you are confused. Seller's policy only relates to returns from buyer and has nothing to do with insured shipping to buyer.

Gah, that will teach me to post when I should be asleep, I missed it too. You're right.

Crabman

Thanks everyone yes i was confused and thought that applied to the shipping out. I had a feeling PayPal would cover anyway.

Much appreciated :beer: